Cherry Blossoms, Red Clouds, and an Uchiha Fan
by I. M. Carter
Summary: Team 7 thinks Sakura is useless so she decides that Konoha is not longer the home for her. She leaves in search of a man who has a special place in her heart. Now she's got new friends, new family, and a new lover. But she keeps bumping into Team 7!
1. The Note He Left

**Izzy: Well, Hello there, readers. ****xD**** I am Izzy-Chan and this is some random story I thought of.**

**Izzy-Chan: Who the HELL ARE YOU!**

**Izzy: Why, I'm Izzy.**

**Izzy-Chan: You can't be Izzy, I'M Izzy!**

**Izzy: So am I. I am YOU. Except, I am the more polite and nicer version.**

**Izzy-Chan: A nice and polite Izzy? Not real.**

**Izzy: ****Annnnyyywayyy****. Issy111 doesn't own ****Naruto****.**

**Izzy-Chan: Damn Straight! Now, You'd better scram before I beat the manners out of you.**

**Izzy: *Runs away***

* * *

Sakura flopped onto her bed angrily.

_How could they have been so mean? I'm not useless!_

**Yes you are.**

_What do you know, Inner? You're just some voice inside my head._

**Or am I? O.o**

_Um, yeah...you are..._

She walked over to her desk, her pink locks bouncing with each step she took. She smiled as her fingers closed around the handle and pulled open the drawer. Her hand reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper. She read it over.

_Sakura__-_

_Come find me if you ever feel __Konoha__ isn't the place for you. I'm never too far away._

_Itachi_

Her lips quirked up into a smile as she remembered her early years with Uchiha Itachi. He was the brother she never had. Believe it or not, Sakura lost her first kiss to him. But that was all in the past. Itachi had left over 5 years ago, after he murdered his Clan. Her fist clenched.

"You just wait, Itachi-nii-san! I'll find you and then we'll be together." Sakura said, grabbing random items from around her room. Once she was completely sure that she had everything she would need, she sat at her desk. Sakura picked up a pen and began to write.

Sakura crept silently through the bushes nearby the Gates of Konohagakure. She smirked when she saw the guards sleeping. She rushed past them, only to stop on the first tree she could reach. She knew that once she was here, she was home-free.

"Good-bye, Konoha." Sakura whispered quietly before dashing off into the forest.

* * *

With Naruto

"Sakura? Look, about what we said earlier…we didn't mean it." Naruto pushed open Sakura's door and peered into her room. It was empty.

"Huh? What's this?" Naruto stared at the scroll on Sakura's once-used desk. His hand trembled as he slowly unraveled it.

_Dear Friends and Loved Ones,_

_By the time you get this, I've already left. I don't expect to come back anytime soon. So this is goodbye. I don't have anything else to say to anyone from Konoha._

_Haruno Sakura_

"No…" Naruto's eyes were wide. He ran out of the room, with the scroll clutched in his hand.

* * *

"Who's this? She shouldn't be in our part of the forest." A voice asked from amidst the trees. Sakura whipped around, a kunai ready in her hand. A chuckle reached her ears.

"Calm down, pinky." A blue man stepped from the shadows, a huge sword on his back. His black cloak swaying in the slow wind. Sakura would recognize those red clouds anywhere.

"Akatsuki." She hissed the organization's name coated with hatred. She had heard what they did to other villages, the way they had mercilessly murdered innocent people.

"She knows us. Wanna kill her?" Blue man asked the… tree?

"Sakura?" Her head snapped up. She knew that voice. She knew it… Whose voice is that? Sakura gasped.

"I-Itachi?" The first thing she saw was Itachi's hair, unmistakable. It was long, tied with a ribbon she had bought him when she was 5. Sakura ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her tightly. Sakura took a deep breath in, remembering his scent. Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking his cloak.

"Itachi, you know this girl?" Blue man interrupted. Itachi nodded, closing his eyes peacefully. But they opened up quickly.

"Sakura, I told you to find me if you ever felt Konoha wasn't the home for you. What happened?" Itachi laid a hand on her shoulder.

_Flashback~_

"_Sakura was so useless on the last mission." Kakashi said to Naruto and Sasuke over a bowl of Ramen. Little did they know, Sakura was standing right outside the small ramen bar, frozen in place._

"_What do you mean, the last mission? She's useless on every mission!" Naruto practically yelled, "Right, Sasuke?"_

"_Hn." Sakura had heard enough. She stepped into the restaurant and looked at the three with her red eyes and a tear halfway down her cheek. Before they had been able to say anything, she ran home._

"Oh, Sakura." Itachi held her again, tighter. She mumbled into his cloak.

"Hm?"

"Can I stay with you?" She repeated, looking into his eyes. Itachi pursed his lips and threw a glance at Blue man.

"Kisame?" Kisame shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Pein." Itachi just nodded.

"You must be tired." He said to her. She nearly collapsed from exhaustion. She had traveled two days worth of ground in a matter of hours. Itachi caught her in his arms and picked her up. She felt so happy, so safe, in his arms. It wasn't long after they started running that Sakura fell asleep.

* * *

In Konoha

"Why would Sakura do this?" Sarutobi, the Third Hokage asked Team 7 as they stood in shock in his office. Naruto and Kakashi looked around nervously. The Third ignored them and rustled through some papers on his huge desk.

"It looks like you haven't had a mission in a couple days. Well here's one right now, go and find her. I don't care how you do it, as long as she comes back alive. She had potential as a Medic-nin." He commanded. They three nodded and left to prepare. Kakashi shook his head.

"I can't believe she left without waiting for an explanation. We thought she was useless because on every mission she never cooked for us!" Kakashi's eye closed in disbelief. Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

"Well, it's too late to tell her now, so the only thing we can do is rescue her. Believe it!"

* * *

"Sakura, wake up." Sakura felt someone shaking her. Her eyelids fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Itachi. Sakura smiled weakly.

"Mornins, 'Tachi." He smirked and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"We're here." He whispered. She nodded and slowly rose. Sakura realized that she wasn't in his arms anymore, but instead on a bed. Her eyes squinted into the darkness, vaguely seeing Itachi's figure. He entwined his fingers into hers and led her down a hallway dimly lit with small candles. They reached a large room and she saw Itachi bow deeply. Sakura felt obliged to bow so she did. She heard a chuckle.

"Who is this girl, Itachi?" A masculine voice asked, clearly smiling.

"Her name is Haruno Sakura and she is from Konoha. I told her long ago that if she ever felt Konoha was not a place worthy of her home, I'd gladly take her in. She found me so I brought her here." Itachi replied respectively. A squeal almost shattered Sakura's ears.

"Oh, Pain! I've always wanted a daughter! Please, oh please, can she stay?" She sighed in relief. She was glad that she wasn't the only girl here.

**No you're not. You want all the guys here to yourself.**

_Says who?_

**Says you!**

_Says me?_

**Yes! Says you!**

_I have Itachi, he's MORE than enough._

**What he doesn't know and finds out about later will make him stronger.**

_Um…I think the correct quote was-_

"Sakura, what are some of your abilities?" Pain wondered, pulling the girl out of her conversation with herself.

"Well, before I left Konoha, I was told that I had a bright future as a Medic-Nin. I don't know if that's true now… but I have excellent control over my chakra." Sakura smiled. The squeal came again.

"Pain, we're in need of some good Medics and she's simply adorable! Look at her hair, it matches her name perfectly! Pain, please?" A woman's voice whined. Sakura saw him nod.

"Itachi, bring Deidara in." He commanded. Itachi left for the briefest moment and returned to Sakura's side quickly.

"What is it, Leader-sama, un?" Sakura saw a blond come into the room.

"Fight this girl." Was all Pain said. She stared at the orange-haired man in horror. She wasn't nearly ready to take on a member of Akatsuki! Before Sakura had time to react, the blond came charging at her. She dodged him the best she could, only to get sliced by a kunai in her arm. She flinched. Sakura reached behind her and grabbed the staff that Tenten had given her for her birthday a year ago. He charged again but this time Sakura was ready. She swung the staff in his direction, but he avoided her hit at the last second. She smirked.

"Gotcha." Sakura said as her staff whipped back around behind her to trip the man who appeared there. He lay on the ground in surprise.

"How did you…?" He trailed off. Pain clapped slowly.

"Excellent work, Sakura. I think you'd make a fine addition to our organization." He smiled softly.

"Konan, take her to her new room and get her a cloak." Pain instructed. The woman she had heard squealing finally stepped into light. She was beautiful, with midnight blue hair and a delicate paper flower resting on her head. She had a piercing here and there, and her pink lips were curled up in a grin.

"I think you're going to love it here." Konan grabbed Sakura's hand and took her deeper into the Akatsuki base. There was no turning back now.

* * *

"Sakura, what's for breakfast?" Deidara grinned as he sat down at the long and impressive table. The rest of the Akatsuki were already seated, awaiting this morning's creation. Sakura skipped into the room, two huge platters balanced on her hands. She placed them easily down on the table and slowly lifted the covers. The members of Akatsuki clapped when they laid eyes on the eleven plates, all different and colorful. Sakura smiled and handed out each plate to its eater. She blushed slightly when she gave the second most delicious one to Itachi. I say second because Sakura gave the largest and prettiest plate to Pain and Konan. She set the monster breakfast between the two.

"Guess what today is." Sakura asked with a small smirk. Tobi flailed his arm in the air.

"Tobi know!" He screamed. Hidan glared at the orange mask from across the table.

"Shut the fuck up." Hidan growled. Tobi shrunk. Sakura shook her head in amusement. Pain returned his attention to her.

"What day is it, Sakura?" He wondered, smiling slightly.

"The 2-year anniversary of me joining Akatsuki!" Sakura cheered. Pain got out of his seat with Konan and they hugged her gently. Sakura sighed contently.

"I'm glad I joined, dad." She said happily. Pain nodded briefly and went to his huge breakfast. Sakura took her seat next to Itachi. When she was seated, he pulled her to him and their lips touched for a split second.

"Best decision of my life." Itachi whispered.

* * *

"It was two years ago, on this day." Naruto stared aimlessly into Sakura's old room. He was the first person to arrive. People started to filter into the abandoned house, the Hyuuga's, Yamanaka's, Nara's, Hatake's, and lastly, the Uchiha's. Ok, when I said plural, I really only meant one person, so sue me. In a once-empty corner of her room stood a cabinet. It's doors were open to reveal a picture of Sakura. Each person who had come took a turn in front of the shrine to leave a little prayer. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata all went up together. They sat quietly next to each other and in their heads said the same prayer.

_Please bring Sakura bring back to us, safe and sound._

Ino stood up slowly, followed soon by her friends. Hinata wiped a tear before stealing a last glance at the picture of a smiling 12-year-old Sakura. Once almost everyone had said a little something for their long lost friend, there was only one person left. Sasuke Uchiha, of course. He knelt in front of the small cabinet.

_I never told her how I feel. Please give me that chance. Just one chance, that's all I need. Then we'll see where she wants to stay._

Sasuke got up and left the house.

* * *

"Sakura, I have a mission for you, Itachi, and Kisame." Pain said when his daughter appeared before him.

"Sure, dad. What is it?" Pain looked at her. Sakura realized it.

"Oh, sorry. It's Leader-sama, isn't it? I can't get that right." Sakura pursed her lips. Pain chuckled.

"Anyway, your mission. I need you three to go to Konohagakure and check out the progress of the Nine-Tails. If its getting very strong, kill him. If not, report back." Pain dismissed her. Sakura ran to her room, where Itachi was waiting.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, pecking her on the lips. Sakura smiled.

"We have to go check on Naruto." She murmured, falling with him onto the bed. They lay there, sharing secrets with their eyes.

"I can't believe it's been two whole years since that day." Itachi smirked.

"I can't believe I didn't do it sooner." Sakura laughed. **(And I can't believe it's not butter! Lol sry…) **The door swung open and Kisame stood before them, a grin on his face.

"Am I interrupting?" He chuckled, showing his sharp teeth. Sakura tackled him.

"Nah, we were just planning your demise, that's all." She giggled. Kisame became serious quickly.

"What's the mission?"

"Checking up on Naruto and if he's getting strong enough to be a threat, kill him on spot. Otherwise, just report back." Kisame nodded.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Kisame flashed another sharky grin and walked out of the door. Sakura and Itachi followed closely behind, a deadly look in their eyes, but a happy smile on their lips. The three grabbed their hats and disappeared into the darkness, their cloaks blending in perfectly.

* * *

**Izzy: Well? What'd u think? I know it's not leading anywhere… but in good time! I'll post chapter 2, asap! Thanks for reading, leave me a review! And I don't mind flames, I've been in this business long enough to handle them. =P Love you! Izzy out. =D**


	2. Look At Me Now

**Izzy: So I'm guessing that you like this? Hahaha, thanks. That makes me happy inside. Like butterflies in my tummy! Actually, that's really gross… why would people even say that? Weirdos…**

**Ryuuk: *Yawn* Hey Iz. What's up?**

**Izzy: Ryuuk! Just the Shinigami I was looking for! Here's an apple. *Throws apple***

**Ryuuk: *Munch* Thanks. So, Issy111 doesn't own Naruto or Death Note.**

**Izzy: *Sigh* I really wish I did. I mean, seriously? A) I'd be rich, and B) I'd be a freakin genius! TT-TT *crawls into Emo corner* Oh snap! *emo corner glows* =O My Emo corner evolved into an Emo Club! Lol Fifi and me found a lot of sexy emo guys in there once. xD That was fun.**

* * *

"Remember this?" Itachi whispered, gazing across the Hidden Leaf Village. Kisame looked at him strangely.

"No. Why? Should I? I've never been here before in my life!" The fish man said confusedly. Itachi rolled his eyes.

"I was talking to Sakura." He retorted. Sakura giggled. Her cloak whipped in the wind. From afar, they looked like three black dots on a wall.

"Well, we'd better go and check on Naruto." Sakura sighed. She clasped her hands together and in a puff of smoke, her appearance changed. Kisame and Itachi did the same. Now they looked like three travelers, complete with raggedy clothes and everything. Sakura poked her pants.

"Ew. It's baggy." She whined. Itachi chuckled.

"Let's go." He commanded. They jumped down, landing gracefully behind a house. Sakura emerged first, followed by her teammates.

"Knowing Naruto, at the moment, he's probably at the training grounds by now." Her new red hair framed her face in a cute way and brought out her brown eyes. She glanced at Itachi.

_He looks funny with brown hair!_

**But sexy… let's rape him.**

_WHAT! Inner!_

**What? It's true… we should… in the park… under a cherry blossom…**

_Inner, shut up! Don't make me imagine him and me… in the park… under a cherry blossom…_

**Mwahaha! You're mind has been infiltrated!**

"Sakura, stop fantasizing about Itachi and let's go." Kisame scoffed. Sakura blushed bright red. Itachi just laughed and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. She nuzzled into his side, aware of all the stares they got. Memories exploded in Sakura's head, reminiscing every moment she had spent in the village. After about five minutes of walking, they arrived at the training grounds. Sakura spotted Naruto sparring with Sasuke on the other side of it. She nodded to Kisame and Itachi, who threw her one last glance and then left. Sakura made her way to the fighting boys.

_They look a lot more mature. I feel like I missed out on watching them grow._

**Gross, Sakura. You sound like a mom.**

_I can't help it! They just remind me…_

**Of what? That you left them all alone because of what they thought of you?**

"Uh, hi there. Are you lost? This is a place for training ninja's, not travelers like you." Naruto's voice snapped Sakura out of her fixated trance.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I've been to a lot of places and I'm always fascinated by the ninja's that live there!" Sakura lied. Naruto relaxed.

"So you're new in Konoha? Welcome!" Naruto grinned as Sakura sheepishly smiled back.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to watch you and your friend fight a little." She said quietly. Naruto paused.

"It's okay with me. Oi, Sasuke! Can this girl watch me kick your ass?" He yelled to the Uchiha.

"Hn." Naruto turned to Sakura.

"Yeah, it's fine." He started back to Sasuke, then stopped, "By the way, what's your name?"

Sakura smiled, "My name is Akina, meaning Spring Flower." Naruto nodded happily and went to Sasuke. They both dropped into offensive stances and about a minute later, they lunged at each other. Sakura watched intently as Naruto swiftly dodged Sasuke's attacks, while the Uchiha foresaw every movement with his Sharingan.

_Wow, They've both improved a lot! This is much better than what we had expected. We'll have to kill Naruto soon._

**I'd like to see you try!**

_I bet twenty dollars I can._

**Deal!**

During Sakura's betting with her Inner, Naruto slammed Sasuke into the ground, pinning him instantly. Sakura looked at them and gasped inwardly. Naruto laughed and bounced over to "Akina".

"Well, how was that?" He asked, panting heavily. Sakura clapped softly.

"I'll have to remember to thank Sasuke later for tiring you out. Maybe I'll let him live." She whispered.

"Huh?" Naruto stood before her, dumbstruck. Sakura reached into her bag and released a sparrow into the air.

"You know what to do." She purred to it. The bird chirped and flew off to find her team. Sakura felt Itachi and Kisame's chakra get closer. Soon, she felt them right behind her.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Naruto?" Sakura laughed.

"W-who are you?" He stuttered. Sakura glanced behind him and saw Sasuke running over.

"Itachi, Kisame, I think our time here is up." Sasuke's eyes bulged.

"I-Itachi?" He repeated. Naruto grabbed Sakura.

"Tell me who you are!" He demanded. Itachi stepped forward, ready to kill Naruto for handling her that way. But she held up her hand, stopping him.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun. That's no way to treat your teammate, is it?" She wondered sweetly. Naruto let her go.

"Sakura?" His eyes widened. A puff of smoke covered Sakura, Kisame, and Itachi.

"Surprise." She grinned. Her hat was back, along with her cloak. Naruto gasped at the sight of her pink hair and clothing. But he recovered quickly. He bit his thumb and summoned a toad.

"Go find Lady Tsunade, tell her Akatsuki is at the Training Grounds!" Naruto commanded. Sakura laughed.

"Great, you'll need all the help you can get!" She called after the amphibian.

"I'll take him." Sakura said to her team. She took off her cloak, slowly and dramatically. Underneath it, was an outfit similar to Itachi's. She had a fishnet shirt to her elbows and a v-neck tee over it. On her legs was a pair of black leggings and a small pack rested on her hip. She bit her thumb just as Naruto had done and summoned a lioness. It's great mouth opened slightly and a voice came out.

"Hello Sakura-sama. It's been a while." It murmured. Sakura nuzzled it.

"Hey, Takara. I think today will be a good battle."

"Good. I've been waiting for one." Takara growled anxiously. But when the mighty beast laid eyes on a seething Naruto, she froze.

"Is this… our opponent?" Takara asked, a hint of fear in her usually fearsome tone. Sakura nodded, with one eyebrow raised.

"Is there a problem, Takara?" Sakura wondered. The lioness shook her head.

"No, it's just that I've heard stories about this boy from the Pride. They say that he's extremely strong when agitated and he's even killed some of our members. I apologize in advance if I fail you, Sakura." Sakura laughed.

"If you try your hardest, which I know you will, then you haven't failed me at all. I'm proud of you, no matter what." She flashed an encouraging smile at her summon.

"Let's do this." Takara roared fiercely, making Naruto flinch just the slightest. Sakura grinned and pulled a small red ball out of her pack. Takara licked it up and began to tremble. Itachi and Kisame smirked as they watched the already large animal grow in size. Takara's head was now taller than Sakura's head, towering over the confident girl.

"Time to play." Sakura focused her chakra into her feet and jumped up with inhuman power. Naruto watched her and his gaze was momentarily blinded by the sun. She landed perfectly on her lioness's back and whipped out a staff that was weathered and beat up. It had obviously been through a lot. Takara lurched forward and ran at Naruto. He clapped his hands together and hundreds of Naruto surrounded the huge beast and its rider. Sakura scoffed.

"This old trick again?" She asked, throwing small cubes everywhere. As soon as they touched one of the many Narutos, it exploded. Each one blew up at least ten Naruto's at once. Within minutes, a very injured single Naruto stood in the clearing. He was panting heavily.

"You're tired already, Naruto? But we've only just begun!" Sakura cackled. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sasuke go for Itachi. She giggled, knowing the outcome of that battle. Itachi had told her that he no longer wanted Sasuke to kill him. Ever since Sakura's medical skills had improved, she had been helping Itachi overcome his disease. As of last month, he was declared healed. It was one of the happiest days of both their lives.

Realizing that she was in the middle of a fight, she turned her attention back to Naruto. He had made two more copies of himself. One was holding his hand out while another made a glowing orb in the palm of his hand. When it was complete, the two doppelgangers swung him around and launched him in Sakura's direction.

"Oo! A new move! Interesting. That would be the Rasengan, correct? I've heard that you had mastered it, I didn't believe it. Well, here's proof!" Sakura leaped out of his way at the last second and focused her chakra in her fist. She rocketed down and slammed him into the ground. A huge cloud of dust filled the air and when it cleared up, a monstrous crater was dented into the earth. You'd think, Oh, Sakura's done with him. But no way is she anywhere near finished. Sakura wiggled her fingers and concentrated on Naruto's limp body. His arm raised and she smiled. Her other hand lifted and her fingers jerked around. Naruto's body floated in the air. He groaned in pain as he regained conciousness. His eyes opened but he found that he couldn't move.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little technique my friend, Sasori taught me, it allows me to control one's body with strings of chakra. I've been meaning to test it out on people for some time now. Thank you for being my puppet for the day." Sakura demonstrated by moving her fingers again, making him flail in an odd manner.

"Oof!" Sakura yelled as something collided with her back, detaching her strings from Naruto. He fell into the ground with a loud _Thud!_ Sakura looked up to see Hinata and Ino standing behind her, eyes filled with tears.

"Sakura, how could you?" Hinata sobbed. Sakura tried to get up and fight them but then realized that Hinata had "Gentle Fisted" a major chakra point. Sakura concentrated her chakra to the blocked chakra point. She sighed in relief when she felt her body move again. When she was up, she saw Takara attacking a group of teens. She recognized everyone, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Shino, Ino, Tenten, and Rock Lee. They tried to at least slow down the huge beast down but with no success. Sakura glanced around. She saw Itachi fighting with his brother, obviously impressed with his progress, but Kisame was nowhere in sight. Sakura groaned inwardly when she saw a blond woman with huge breasts walk onto the training grounds. She knew this woman as Tsunade, the fifth hokage, one of the legendary Sanins. Tsunade bit her thumb, the third to do it in the last half hour, and a monster slug was summoned. Sakura jumped up from her place on the ground and ran at full speed to Takara. She leaped onto her pet's back.

"Takara, let's take out the worm." Sakura commanded. The beast nodded and pushed her way out of the crowd of ninjas. Sakura noticed that Takara was limping slightly. The ninja's followed them, still attacking. It was taking a toll on the beautiful lioness. Sakura quickly focused her chakra in her hand and a green glow emitted from it. She hovered her hand over the limping leg and could see the swelling become larger every minute that passed. By the time they reached Tsunade and her slug, Takara had broken into a run, her injured leg healed. Sakura remembered the warnings she had gotten from Pain about this slug. It was poisonous and it could turn into thousands of tiny slugs. She realized that Takara would need armor. Sakura's hand trembled as it reached into her pack. She pulled out a piece of paper. It was blank and the size of an index card. Sakura concentrated on it and whispered to herself, "Paper Mulitply." The paper exploded into hundreds of hundreds of paper, each identical to the others. They swirled around Sakura and Takara. Sakura pursed her lips.

"Armor of Paper." She mumbled. The paper began to swirl faster and faster around them. Sakura felt a piece of paper touch her bare arm and suddenly, she felt like she had stepped into a second skin. The paper changed color and it looked like Sakura was still in her regular outfit. Sakura panted, her breath short and uneven. She was losing a lot of chakra.

"Sakura!" Her head snapped around. She saw Pain and Konan racing closer to her. Behind them was the rest of Akatsuki. Sakura smiled and felt a second wind coming on. She looked up and faced Tsunade.

"Wanna do this, or what?" Sakura asked quizzically, her signature grin on her face. Tsunade stared at the girl from atop her slug then nodded. Sakura focused some chakra into her feet and tapped Takara's head. The lioness burst forward with a surge of energy. It ran up the side of the huge slug and when Sakura could see Tsunade, she leaped off Takara and landed before the mighty woman.

"You and me, no genjutsu's, no ninjutsu's, no weapons, just plain taijutsu." Sakura stated. Tsunade considered this and then nodded slowly. Sakura smiled. Her armor of paper slowly departed, adding to Takara's defense.

_She doesn't know that taijutsu is my forte._

**But you don't know if it's hers either…**

…

**You didn't completely think this through, did you?**

_Shut up! I have one last trick up my sleeve._

Tsunade dropped into a defensive position while Sakura went into an offensive one. Sakura shuddered as a surge of anger chilled her spine. Then she lost control of her body.

* * *

**Izzy: Hahaha! Cliffhanger! Yes, let your imagination fly! What will happen next? =o You'll have to wait, now won't you? Mwahaha!**

**Gaara: That's mean.**

**Izzy: Panda-chan! There you are! I was starting to wonder…**

**Gaara: You shouldn't use cliffhangers.**

**Izzy: Why not? They get me more readers that are waiting for the next chapter. Oh, I know. You want to find out what happens, don't you?**

**Gaara: *turns red as hair* W-what? No!**

**Izzy: Uh huh… sure… I'm sorry that Sakura was so OOC… -_- And I hope that my fight scenes are better this time…rather than in Born and Raised in Suna. I thought they were… xD Well, until next time! Leave me a review of what you think! =D Ja ne!**


	3. Battle with the Hokage

**Izzy: I'm on a roll here, chapter three in a matter of hours! =D This is what you get when you add an awesome idea, lots of time, and great readers together! And don't say that I'm an amazing writer or whatever, because I'm not. I just have ideas and I transfer them onto paper/the internet. I actually have outlines and everything but when I start to type it up, the stories seem to write themselves. xD Isn't that weird?**

**Aloochie, my bffl: Hey, Isabella!**

**Izzy: Aloochie! Hey! Wanna do my disclaimer?**

**Aloochie: No way.**

**Izzy: Please? I'll pay you!**

**Aloochie: Fine! Issy111 doesn't own Naruto. Now, my money?**

**Izzy: Who said anything about money? I'll pay you in hugs! *Glomp* :D**

* * *

_Tsunade dropped into a defensive position while Sakura went into an offensive one. Sakura shuddered as a surge of anger chilled her spine. Then she lost control of her body._

* * *

"It's been so long since I've come out! Thanks, Sakura!" Sakura's voice changed, now it sounded dark and sinister. Tsunade's face turned puzzled. Hidan appeared near them and stared at Sakura.

"Oh, shit. Inner's arrived. You are totally fucked!" He yelled. Then he disappeared. Sakura laughed maniacally.

"Who are you?" Tsunade asked. Sakura glared at the Hokage with piercing eyes. They had changed color, now they were now a dark forest green.

"I'm Inner. I usually stay inside Sakura's head but when she really wants to win a battle, she lets me out to have a little fun." Inner crackled. Then she leaped at the Hokage, who was caught off guard, still thinking about the strange change. A deep cut streaked the woman's face, and blood began to trickle out. Fire glowed in Tsunade's eyes.

"Time to get serious." She hissed. The blond ripped off her coat off and Inner noticed that the small jewel adorning her forehead had disappeared.

"I've been waiting for this." Inner huffed. Her fist shot forward, aiming for Tsunade's face. But the woman had other plans. She caught Inner's punch and slowly tightened her hand, crushing the bone in Inner's fist. Inner screamed in pain and jumped up slightly. She had just enough time to make her body horizontal. Her feet connected with Tsunade's stomach and pushed the mighty fighter back, making her let go of the fist. Inner cursed loudly and inspected her broken hand. In almost no time at all, it was healed, and Inner was more ready than ever to RIP THAT BITCH'S HEAD OFF.

"You'll pay for that." Inner hissed. She run forward, fast as lightning and as if in slow motion, sliced the air with her foot, tripping the Hokage. Inner pounced on the woman lying on the ground, pinning her.

"You messed with the wrong bitch." Inner growled at the panting victim before her. Tsunade couldn't believe that someone, a teenager no less, had taken her down with Taijutsu.

"If you had stayed here two years ago, you would've become my apprentice." Tsunade stated slowly. Inner scoffed.

"But I didn't and look at me now, I just took you down in a matter of easy moves. You don't deserve to be called Hokage." She said viciously. In her hands she wove a strong chakra rope and bound Tsunade's hands and feet together. Inner clenched her fist and promptly hit the woman's head, knocking her out. She slung the heavy (you'd expect) woman over her shoulder and whistled loudly. The whistle echoed across the entire village and stopped the battle below her briefly. Inner heard the soft sound of pads on the ground. Within seconds, Takara arrived before her.

"Takara, it's been such a long time since I've last seen you!" Inner laughed. The lioness nodded.

"Indeed it has, Inner." Takara stepped forward cautiously. Inner threw a leg over the summon's back and sat on her, still holding the tied Hokage.

"Let's go down to where the action is." She instructed the beast. Takara began running down the side of the slug, now slowly disappearing, not feeling useful anymore. The lioness leaped off the middle of the huge worm and seemed to fly over the battles below. When Takara landed, Inner was gone, and Sakura Haruno was back.

"Looks like you got the Hokage." She mumbled.

**Damn right, I did! Quite easy too. I think even you would've been able to get her.**

_What's that supposed to mean?_

**Nothing…**

_Uh huh. Suure… Whatever. It's time to get Naruto._

Sakura let out a scream, freezing all the fighting in the clearing. The Konoha ninja's all went wide-eyed when they spotted the Fifth Hokage in her arms.

"If you sorry excuses for ninja's want your precious Hokage back, give Naruto to Akatsuki." She declared. As she scanned the clearing, she saw the members of Akatsuki disappear. Seconds later, they materialized beside her. The Konoha defenders looked at each other uneasily. They huddled together and when they came out, Ino stepped up. She opened her mouth to speak but Naruto pushed her away.

"Deal." He said quietly. His friends began to shout protests. That was obviously not what they had agreed on. Sakura smirked and shot a look at Kisame. He nodded and ran to the blond. Kisame pulled out a huge bag and stuffed Naruto into it. Sakura giggled at the sight; it looked like Kisame was a pedophile and he was kidnapping Naruto for a "fun" time. She placed Tsunade's unconscious body on Takara's back and the summon padded forward. Neji and Rock Lee gently picked up the woman and supported her on their shoulders. They stumbled away into the direction of her office. Pain caught the attention of his members.

"Our mission here is done. Good job, Sakura, Kisame, and Itachi. Now, we've got to extract that demon from Naruto's body." He gestured to the sack over Kisame's back. Sakura shivered and realized she left her cloak in the middle of the training grounds when she had versed Naruto. She turned around to tell her friends to wait but saw that they had already taken off. Sakura sighed and shot a look at Takara that said 'They're so careless.' Takara chuckled and began to walk to the abandoned cloak on the ground. Sakura followed her hesitantly, scanning the surrounding area. It was empty as far as she could see. Takara trotted ahead of her and picked the dirty cloak in her mouth. She shook it a bit, causing Sakura to cough at the dirt it expelled. Sakura inspected the cloth quickly and slipped her petit body into it, feeling the memories it held. She groaned when she noticed a tear in the sleeve, knowing that she'd have to fix it on her own time.

"C'mon Takara, let's go home, I bet everyone's expecting a full-fledged dinner buffet when I get back." Sakura placed a hand on the lion's back, getting ready to jump up onto it for a ride to base. But a hand on her shoulder surprised her and she threw a fist blindly backwards, coming in contact with something. She opened her eyes and saw Sasuke Uchiha lying on the ground, rubbing his cheek.

"Sorry." She mumbled, proceeding to get on her summon's back. Sasuke lifted a hand.

"Wait, Sakura!" He said, almost desprately. Sakura looked at him, waiting.

"I wish you hadn't left..." He started. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Everyone does." She scoffed.

"No, no. I mean, I wish you hadn't left because I never had a chance to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you."

_Oh Hell Naw._

* * *

**Izzy: Hahaha. You found out about the cliffhanger from last chapter but me being me, I had to leave another one. Mwahaha!**

**Gaara: You're really not getting the concept of this "Shouldn't use cliffhangers" thing, aren't you?**

**Izzy: Did you say something?**

**Gaara:*sigh* no…**

**Izzy: Didn't think so. =P**

**Gaara: *pulls off face* Guess who!**

**Izzy: Oh snap! It's Sasori!**

**Sasori: *pulls off face***

**Izzy: No wait, it's Hidan!**

**Hidan: *pulls off face***

**Izzy: I'm not even going to guess anymore. Oh yeah, sorry about the short chapter. I didn't want to continue and reveal how Sakura reacts to Sasuke's horribly done confession. xD**

**Hidan: *Pulls off lots of faces* It's me, Gaara!**

**Izzy: … retard. Now, be a good reader and leave me reviews to tell me what you think! I'll love you long time =D Ja ne!**


	4. Who's Coming Back?

**Izzy: *Yawn* You guys are lucky I like this story. xD Otherwise, you wouldn't get so many updates. ;P**

**Barney: Hey IzzY!**

**Izzy: OMG, DIE! *Stabs***

**Barney: *Dies***

**Izzy: Phew, that was close. For a second, I was afraid he would hug me or something. Really scared me for a minute. Whew, I've never been more scared in my life.**

**Zombie: *comes at with chainsaw* Aghhh…**

**Izzy: A Zombie! Zomg! Hey, you wanna do my diclaimer?**

**Zombie: Ughhh… (Translation…2% correct: Issy111 doesn't own Naruto)**

**Izzy: Thank you! *hugs***

**Zombie: Augh…. *groan***

**

* * *

**

"I wish you hadn't left..." He started. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Everyone does." She scoffed.

"No, no. I mean, I wish you hadn't left because I never had a chance to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you."

_Oh Hell Naw._

_

* * *

_

**Did he honestly just say that? That bastard!**

_Inner! What do you mean?_

**Because right before we left, we confessed, remember?**

_No…_

**Well, we did! And he brushed us off like we were measly little fangirls!**

_Oh yeah! Wait, he left us on that bench outside, right?_

**YES! We almost died of the flu outside in that freezing cold!**

_What are you talking about? He gave us a blanket._

"Sakura?" Sakura spun around and saw Itachi land opposite Sasuke. He walked to her side worriedly. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Sakura smiled up at him and he planted a little kiss on her lips.

"Why didn't you follow us home?" Itachi asked.

"I left my cloak here. It was kind of cold and this one piece of cloth holds more memories than my mind." Itachi nodded.

"Memories, indeed." He commented seductively. Sakura giggled and nuzzled him lovingly.

**That's right, Sakura, make Sasuke squirm and watch you with your man!**

_I feel so dirty._

**Ahem, you're part of Akatsuki, an evil organization, and your father is the leader. You kill people for a living. You ARE dirty.**

Sakura sighed quietly. Itachi looked at her.

"Something wrong?"

"I just need a moment with Sasuke. Take Takara into the forest, I'll meet you there soon." Sakura said. Itachi gave her a worried glance, but obeyed. He took of, with Takara close behind. Sakura turned to Sasuke, his eyes were covered by his bangs.

"You're with… Itachi…" He mumbled. Sakura nodded.

"I've been with him since we met." She clarified. That was a lie but it was partially true. She and Itachi had felt something special from the start.

"I thought… if I told you how I felt, you'd stay with me in Konoha." Sasuke looked deeply into her eyes with his onyx ones. Sakura all of a sudden lost any pity or respect for him.

"You only confessed because you thought I'd stay?" She asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah…" Sakura lifted her hand behind her head and brought it down to his face, slapping him hard.

"That's for not saying anything when I confessed and…" Sakura took her other hand to his opposite cheek, "that's for being stupid about love. Just because you think that you're so handsome and everything that if you say you like them, they'll immediately drop all their things and leave their lives just for you." Sasuke's cheeks began to redden as he stared at her.

"What do you mean 'Confessed'?" He asked. But Sakura had already turned on her heel and dashed off in the direction of the forest, where she knew her lover would be waiting, no matter how long she took.

**Hahahaha!**

_Now what, Inner?_

**I lied. We never actually confessed. I can't believe you believed me!**

_Inner! Why'd you tell me that?_

**Wanted to know how you'd react.**

_*Facepalm*_

Sakura reached the forest and scanned the trees above her. She walked a little further along the forest floor and was surprised to find no one there. A scream from her was muffled by a huge hand, her wrists held together by the other hand. Sakura's eyes darted back and forth, trying to find anyone, anything, that could help her. The hand that held her wrists let go and covered her eyes. Before she had time to move, the hand on her mouth took its place and held her wrists once again. Sakura took a huge breath to scream the loudest scream she could possibly produce, but lips touched hers and she became lip-locked with her assaulter. Her wrists were let go and the hand held onto her waist. She felt the hand lift from her eyes and it wrapped under her head, holding it expertly. Sakura took this chance to see who it was. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the man before. He seemed really familiar… with strange lines on each side of his nose… and long black hair. Sakura laughed inside, her assaulter was Itachi! Sakura locked her hands behind his neck and pulled him closer. He deepened their kiss, lining her bottom lip with his tongue, begging for entrance. She gladly gave it to him. Their tongues battled and eventually, as always, the Uchiha won. When you think of genius, you'd think great at math… learning jutsus… things like that. But you'd never expect them to be geniuses at kissing. But they are. I think Itachi just proved that point. Now, stop making me distracted and let me get back to the story. Itachi held her tightly and close, slowly dragging the two of them down to the ground. Sakura lay on the forest floor with Itachi kissing her hungrily on top of her. Itachi moved his hand down her body and into her cloak. He inched it down her shoulder little by little. Sakura's eyes snapped open and she put her hands on Itachi's chest right above her. She pushed it away gently, separating them. She didn't meet his eyes, Sakura just stared at the ground.

"Itachi, I'm sorry, I just can't…" She trailed off. Itachi cupped her face and held her chin, making her look directly into his eyes.

"Sakura, if you're not ready, I won't force it upon you." He said, like the gentleman he was. Sakura nodded, her eyes filled with tears. One escaped and made its way down her cheek. Itachi wiped it away and gave her a small kiss.

"Let's go home." He suggested. Itachi held her hand in his and together they started to the Akatsuki base.

* * *

"Sakura!" Konan yelled when the pink-haired girl walked into the cave Akatsuki called home. Konan pulled Sakura into a hug.

"I thought someone had ambushed you or worse!" Sakura giggled at her adoptive mother's worry.

"Konan, I'm here now, so obviously I'm fine." She said sighing. Konan released the poor girl and laughed nervously.

"Yes but..." Konan began, but Pain cut her off.

"Sakura, you've been holding up the extracting of the demon." He hissed harshly. Sakura didn't meet his eyes.

"Gomenasai, Leader-sama." She mumbled quietly. Pain just nodded and led her and Itachi to the main chamber. Sakura hopped onto a wrist that connected to the huge right hand that had been announced hers two years ago. Her bracelet began to glow, and the charm that hung from it, that read "Blossom", did too. Sakura shut her eyes, remembering the missions she had once shared with Naruto, the boy she was about to kill. An enraged scream hung in the air. Sakura glanced at the other Akatsuki members with concern and they all leaped down from their places. Sakura ran into the room that held Naruto and saw Pain's back, heaving with anger.

"He...escaped." Was all Pain could say, he repeated it over and over, each time more aggressive than the last. Sakura stood behind him, puzzled. She noticed a huge gaping hole in the ceiling and the thick steel chains that had at one point, held the Kyuubi in place, shattered in pieces on the floor. She listened closely to her father, hearing him finally change his phrase.

"We... will... get him..." She heard between gasps of air.

* * *

"Sakura."

That was the magic word these days, but only when said with enough desire. Sakura smiled slyly and creaked open her door. Itachi stood outside it, smirking. Sakura reached out to him and grabbed his collar. She pulled him into the darkness that was her room and onto her bed. It was slow at first, then their kisses became faster, one wanting more than what the other gave. Itachi ran his hands down Sakura's body, feeling the already-memorized curves that made her body. I soft moan of pleasure escaped Sakura's lips, making Itachi smile, just the slightest. But as usual, one thing led to another...

* * *

A light knock interrupted Sakura and Itachi's love fest and quickly, they scrambled around the room, gathering their clothes and throwing them on sloppily. Last but not least, they covered themselves with their black cloaks. Sakura opened the door and saw Pain standing before her.

"Sakura. There is someone here for you." He muttered. Sakura threw Itachi a confused glance and hurried to the main chamber, with her lover close behind. When she got there, she scanned the darkness and spotted a dark figure far away.

"State your business with me." Sakura said in a professional voice.

"S-Sakura?" The figure asked. Sakura's eyes widened a little when she realized that it was a girl.

"Sakura?" She repeated. The figure began to run to the pink-haired girl at full speed. Sakura crouched, ready for an attack. But instead, she was engulfed in the girl's arms. This girl, was hugging her.

"Who are you?" Sakura demanded. Their eyes met briefly and Sakura gasped loudly.

"Hinata?"

* * *

**Izzy: Hi! Cliffhangers are so awesome! The more you review, the faster I update! Actually, that's not true. I update when I want to. :P Oh, and I made a mistake in my last chapter. I said that Fifi and me met a lot of emo guys. Well, that was supposed to be Chrona and I... Yes, she made me change it... Lol, its ok! My grammer sucks any way...**

**Gaara: Can I come into the story?**

**Izzy: Perhaps at some point... If you're lucky.**

**Gaara: Yes!**

**Izzy: Well, I don't have much to say, except leave me reviews and tell me what you think! What do you think Hinata is doing at the Akatsuki base? How did she find it? All will be revealed next time in WHEN I COME BACK, CHAPTER 5! Ja ne!**


	5. Hinata is Here, Oh Boy

**Izzy: *sings* I love the song Still Doll from Vampire Knight. I sounds so... vampire-y!**

**Kaname: Hello. Issy111 doesn't own Naruto.**

**Izzy: *Being the fangirl that she is, faints***

**Kaname: You know the best part about unconsious girls? They can't say no. *bites Izzy-Chan's neck***

**Izzy: *Wakes up* OMJ! I've been bitten by a pure blood! I'm...becoming...a vampire! AHhhhhhhhh!**

**Kaname: No you're not. I was just pretending. Now, stop getting distracted and get on with the story.**

* * *

_"State your business with me." Sakura said in a professional voice._

_"S-Sakura?" The figure asked. Sakura's eyes widened a little when she realized that it was a girl._

_"Sakura?" She repeated. The figure began to run to the pink-haired girl at full speed. Sakura crouched, ready for an attack. But instead, she was engulfed in the girl's arms. This girl, was hugging her._

_"Who are you?" Sakura demanded. Their eyes met briefly and Sakura gasped loudly._

_"Hinata?"_

* * *

Sakura would recognize those white eyes anywhere.

"Hinata, what are you doing here? How'd you find the base? Why are you in Akatsuki?" Sakura bombarded the Hyuuga with questions. Hinata's pale eyes began to water.

"My father said that I was a disappointment to the family. He disowned me." Hinata said flatly, letting a single tear roll down her cheek. Sakura was surprised by this information. When she had last encountered this girl, almost a year ago, she had seemed so strong and brave. But apparently that wasn't enough.

"I don't really know how I got here... I made my way out of Konoha and I think by the time I was in the trees, I fainted. When I woke up, some guys said that I was in Akatsuki. So I asked for you." Sakura noticed that Hinata had hugged her with only one arm. She looked at the arm that had not held her, it was clutching Hinata's abdomen, covered in blood.

"Hinata! You're bleeding!" Sakura shrieked. Hinata smiled sheepishly.

"After my father disowned me, he swore that he wouldn't let anyone see how much of a disgrace I was, and plunged his sword into my stomach. I'm surprised that I'm still alive." She gasped, tightening her arm around her stomach as she winced in pain. Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. She saw Itachi, still standing by her, watching every movement either of them made.

"Itachi, go into my room and get my emergency supplies." She commanded. Itachi nodded slowly before leaving them. Sakura laid Hinata on the ground and investigated the damage the sword had done to Hinata's body. Itachi returned quickly and handed Sakura a bag of medical supplies. Sakura rumaged through it until she found a decent amount of bandages. She hovered her hand over the Hyuuga's wound and felt thin strings of chakra weave in and out of Hinata's body. She saw immediately that her stomach and part of her liver had been sliced through. Sakura did her best to stop the internal bleeding but whenever it seemed to stop, it would come back twice as much. Small beads of sweat began to form along Sakura's (rather large) forehead. Hinata let out soft moans of pain every now and again, but after what seemed like hours, Sakura had managed to partially stop the bleeding inside Hinata's body. She skillfully wrapped layers of bandages around the injured girl's abdomen, each one turning red as the body fluids bled through. Hinata groaned as she slowly rose from the ground, needing Sakura for support. Sakura led her old friend to an unoccupied room next to her own and helped Hinata onto the neatly made bed. Almost instantly, the Hyuuga fell asleep. Sakura quietly crept out of the room and went to her father in his room.

"Leader-sama-" She started. But Pain cut her off abruptly.

"No." Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask!" She whined. Pain shot her a look.

"Yes I do. You were going to ask if that girl could join us. The answer is no."

"Why not! She's thought to be dead and she hates Konoha as much as I do! Her Byakugan has become strong in the recent years and you're always complaining about how much we needed a Hyuuga. And now that one has been dropped at our doorstep with a sign that says 'Take me in', you won't accept her? She has inside information on the village that's more updated than mine! She was a student of Tsunade!" Sakura protested. Pain stared at the girl.

_Is this really the scared little girl who came to us with tears in her eyes? _He asked himself. The orange-haired man chuckled softly at his own response.

_No. This is a new girl, someone who lives for her new family, never turning her back on someone in need. _**(A/N: Oh the irony...) **Pain realized that everything his daughter had just said was true. He groaned in annoyance and when he did, Sakura knew that Hinata was accepted. She laughed and hugged her father tightly.

"Thank you." Sakura whispered, grinning. She left quickly to go check up on the new member.

* * *

"Go monitor the Land of Mist for any signs or suspicious activity. We've been hearing rumors." Pain said to the six members in front of him. They nodded and walked out of the base, happily chatting.

"Hinata, what's your disguise going to be today?" Sakura asked excitedly. Hinata giggled while tapping her chin.

"I think this time, I'll keep my hair and make myself look like a stripper! But a high-end one, so I don't attract too much attention." She replied. Hidan, next to her, frowned.

"I don't want bastards looking up my girlfriend!" He pouted, possessivly hugging her waist. Hinata laughed and placed her head on his shoulder as they walked. Itachi gave Sakura a playful warning look.

"No stripping for you." He waggled his finger at her. Sakura stuck her tongue at him.

"But what about when we get back?" She wondered in a seductive voice.

"I think you know the answer to that question." Itachi whispered, a chuckle escaping his lips. Kisame and Kakazu just slowly lingered behind the two couples, depressed knowing that they'd never be them. Hinata looked at Sakura.

"What are you going to be?" Sakura stopped, thinking. She gasped, getting an apparently amazing idea.

"I will be a newly wed with Itachi! With a beautiful dress and lots of lace!" She screamed. Hinata nodded approvingly. Itachi, on the other hand, gaped at her.

"I am NOT wearing a tuxedo." He hissed. Sakura's eyes began to water.

"Why not?" She asked. Itachi glanced at Hinata, who was shooting death glares at him, and Sakura, who looked like she was going to burst with tears any moment. He sighed.

"Fine." But Sakura wasn't satisfied with that reply.

"You hate the idea!" She wailed. Itachi let out a breath of annoyance.

"Yes, but I love you so I have to do what you say or I die." He said. Sakura shrugged. She began thinking again about her disguise.

"What about a sexy-"

"No." Itachi cut in. Sakura poked him angrily.

"I shall be a sexy traveller and that's that!" She yelled.

"This is going to be a long mission..." Itachi mumbled to himself.

* * *

"Hinata! Wait up!" Sakura called to her friend. Hinata turned around on her tall pumps and smiled evilly at her friend, then, she ran off, laughing the whole way. Sakura panted heavily and put her hands on her knees and huffed. Apparently, it wasn't easy to run/walk in tight leather jumpsuits after all. Sadly, Sakura found that out the hard way. She blew a lock of blond hair out of her blue eyed gaze and began running after Hinata. But, being the klutz that she was, she tripped and fell flatly on her face.

"Hinataaaaa!" She cried. Unfortunatly, Hinata was way too far away to hear her plea. Luckily, there was a nice boy nearby happy to help a stranger who had fallen.

"Need a hand?" The loud boy asked, holding a hand out to her. Sakura looked at him and gasped inwardly.

_OMJ, it's Naruto._

_**Ha, this is probably karma catching up with you after all these years.**_

_Shut up. Now, think, what could he possibly be doing here?_

_Inner?_

_INNER!_

"Yeah, thanks." Sakura muttered, grabbing his hand. Naruto pulled her up to her feet and she wobbled a bit on her huge platforms. She grabbed Naruto for balance and he laughed nervously.

"So, you live here?" He wondered. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I'm just visiting from another village." She replied. Naruto scratched his head.

"When you fell, I heard you scream a name. What was it?" Sakura cursed at herself silently for calling out Hinata's real name in public.

"Uh...I was calling out to my friend... Pinta!" She laughed, completely pissed that she was all alone in this situation.

_Where the hell is Itachi? _She thought.

"Saku!" Hinata called out. Sakura whipped around to see her high-end hooker of a friend wandering back. Sakura dashed over as quickly as she could and covered Hinata's eyes with her hand.

"Ok, listen. Naruto is right there, I don't know why, and he thinks I'm looking for my friend, Pinta, aka you. My name is now Minesaku, and we have no backup." She whispered. Slowly, she uncovered Hinata's eyes. Hinata gasped when she caught sight of her old crush. Naruto bounced over.

"Hi there! You must be Pinta! Wow, you have really pretty hair! It looks just like this... girls..." He trailed off sadly. Sakura glanced at Hinata, wondering what was happening.

"What happened?" Hinata asked quietly. Naruto looked at her with wet eyes. He wiped them quickly.

"I live in the Hidden Leaf village and when I was growing up, there was this really pretty girl that I liked. Her name was Hinata Hyuuga and she was smart, brave, beautiful, and everything a guy could ever want in a girl. But then one day, she disappeared. No one knew where she went but I think her father was happy she was gone. He never really liked her. But I disagreed with him. She was the most likable girl I've ever met." He sighed. Sakura noticed a hint of pink rise in Hinata's cheeks.

"She sounds perfect." Hinata whispered. Naruto nodded.

"She was. And her hair looked exactly like yours." He gazed at her hair. Sakura tensed, feeling two presences behind them. Sakura screamed when a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned around and to her relief, it was just Itachi. Beside him stood Hidan, staring curiously at Naruto.

"Who the fuck is this?" He demanded from Hinata. Hinata giggled.

"Some guy who picked up Saku." She replied non-chalantly. Hearing this, Itachi felt fire in his eyes. Sakura laughed at his jealousy. Hidan sighed in relief.

"Actually, I helped her off the floor. She fell in those ridiculously high shoes." Naruto corrected. Sakura blushed and stared at her pink shoes. Itachi sighed just as Hidan had done.

"So, you're a ninja? You look like one." Itachi wondered. Naruto nodded happily.

"Yup! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage of Konohagakure!" He yelled. Hinata flinched at his volume. Itachi glanced over Naruto's shoulder and Sakura saw his eyes visably widen.

"Where there's one member of Team 7, the rest are sure to be around somewhere." He muttered under his breath. Sakura almost gasped when she saw Sasuke sauntering over to them, Kakashi close behind. Hinata gave Sakura a worried look and Sakura nodded briefly. Itachi wrapped an arm around her waist and Hidan did the same with Hinata. They were about to take off when Kakashi started talking to them.

"Hi there! You four are emitting a lot of chakra for such common travellers." He said cheerily. Sakura stared at him, focused on her old sensei.

**What is it with you and Team 7? You keep bumping into them! Well, forget about that, you're in some deep shit now!**

_Can it, Inner.

* * *

_

**Izzy: What'd you think? Eh, I know... Oh well. It'll get better in the next chapter. :) By the way, I changed the title of my story so if any of my chapters still say WHEN I COME BACK, It's cuz I wrote them before I changed it... Sry! xD**

**Gaara: Stupid cliffhangers... *mumble***

**Izzy: What was that Gaara?**

**Gaara: I said that these cliffhangers are stupid!**

**Izzy: Big mistake, buddy. *drags into closet***

**Gaara: Wait, no! I didn't say that! I said... um... A life without cliffhangers is stupid! Yeah, that's what I said!**

**Izzy: You should know better than to lie like that, Panda-chan. *Cracks knuckles***

**Gaara: Leave lots of reviews and maybe I won't die! Help me! TT-TT**


	6. Stupid Team 7!

**Izzy: Hiyaz! Yes, yes, I know, I haven't updated in forever but I still love you guys, no matter how slow I am at writing! ^^ I've been having a lot of writers block lately and school has been driving me insane. But I'm back and ready to write! I think you'll like this chapter. :D**

**Disclaimer: Issy111 (Izzy) doesn't own Naruto or any of its characters. (Sorry, no creativity in this disclaimer! xD) **

* * *

_"So, you're a ninja? You look like one." Itachi wondered. Naruto nodded happily._

_"Yup! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage of Konohagakure!" He yelled. Hinata flinched at his volume. Itachi glanced over Naruto's shoulder and Sakura saw his eyes visibly widen._

_"Where there's one member of Team 7, the rest are sure to be around somewhere." He muttered under his breath. Sakura almost gasped when she saw Sasuke sauntering over to them, Kakashi close behind. Hinata gave Sakura a worried look and Sakura nodded briefly. Itachi wrapped an arm around her waist and Hidan did the same with Hinata. They were about to take off when Kakashi started talking to them._

_"Hi there! You four are emitting a lot of chakra for such common travelers." He said cheerily. Sakura stared at him, focused on her old sensei._

_**What is it with you and Team 7? You keep bumping into them! Well, forget about that, you're in some deep shit now!**_

_Can it, Inner._

* * *

Sakura glanced nervously to Itachi. He responded with a look that said "We're screwed, great job Sakura!" Hinata's breath quickened with anxiousness. A dark aura surrounded Kakashi.

"Well," He said expectantly, "Aren't you going to reveal yourselves since the gig is up?" Sasuke glared at Itachi, as if seeing right through his brother's disguise. Suddenly, Hinata threw her hands up.

"Fine you caught us," She sighed. The three Akatsuki members gave her bewildered stares. A couple hand movements and a puff of smoke later, instead of a "high-end stripper", there was a woman that was obviously not Hinata. A mask completely covered her face and her hair was now a messy brown. She was dressed in all black and looked like a stereotypical ninja. Hinata blinked at her friends in fake defeat. A small light in Sakura's head flickered on.

"Damn, I didn't think we'd get caught." She acted. Then instead of a blond traveler, Sakura became a black haired ninja just like Hinata.

"C'mon guys, we've been found out, give it up." Sakura said, winking ever so slightly at Hidan and Itachi. The two men grimaced and also dressed in black. Kakashi nodded in approval.

"There see, it wasn't so bad." He grinned. Sakura rolled her brown eyes. How could he be so gullible?

Naruto, who had been unnaturally quiet, tapped his sensei's shoulder. "Shouldn't we go somewhere more secluded," He mumbled, "villagers are starting to stare." He gestured to the small crowd that had formed somewhat of a blood clot in the middle of the street. Kakashi slanted his eyes.

"True..." He stroked his invisible beard as if in deep thought. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at Sakura.

"I'm sure you have some kind of hideout somewhere." He accused. Quickly, Sakura thought back to the old Akatsuki base that had been used several years ago but was abandoned when some junkies found and ransacked it. She nodded slowly.

"Take us there." Kakashi commanded. Sasuke interrupted.

"Don't you trust these people a bit too much?" He hissed. Kakashi chuckled.

"Oh Sasuke. They could try to run and hide but they are no match for the three of us, even if they have four. They are simply amateurs." Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could see Hidan's fist clench so hard his knuckles turned white. Hinata entwined her fingers into his in an attempt to calm him down.

"Take us there." Kakashi repeated. Itachi gave Sakura a confused look but stayed at her side nonetheless. Making sure that Team 7 was behind her, Sakura took off through the streets, as slowly as she could while at the same time, made it look like she wasn't just any girl in the village. Itachi's lips hovered barely an inch away from Sakura's ear.

"What are you doing?" He whispered.

"I'm taking them to the abandoned Akatsuki base. There, they'll see that we're low-rank criminals and leave us be." Itachi paused, thinking this plan through.

"Interesting." He murmured.

* * *

"It's right here." Sakura pushed through the bushes trying to find the overgrown entrance to their "hideout". Finally, a hinge revealed itself to her. She traced the lining of the door and found the handle. With all her might, she flung it open. The darkness greeted her with scattering bugs and dust. Sakura cautiously entered the unfamiliar cave with Itachi at her side. Hidan and Hinata followed them with Team 7 close behind. Hidan led Hinata to Sakura and the two men began exploring the place they had at one point called home. A chill ran up Sakura's spine when she felt something scurry over her foot. She let out a short scream. Itachi ran back to her.

"What happened?" he asked frantically. Sakura shook her head.

"Nothing, I just felt a mouse on my foot." she reassured him. Kakashi laughed from behind her.

"Sasuke, I think we should stay here overnight in case these wimps aren't who they say they are." he said sarcastically.

Suddenly, a low light filled the cave. Hidan stood with a candle and a victorious grin on his face. Sakura squinted around the room she was in. It seemed like they were in the main hall, at the end a small throne-like seat was placed. A small smile adorned her face when she imagined her father sitting there with Konan standing right next to him.

"This seems like a good place to sleep." Naruto commented. It seemed like Kakashi had thought the same, seeing as the silver-haired man was already setting his sleeping mat down. The Akatsuki group took their place against the wall, only slightly lit by the candle Hidan had put in the middle of the room. Once everyone had found a cozy place to claim as their own, Kakashi began trying to make small talk.

"So how are you?" he asked with a glint in his eye. Four stone faces replied without speech. An awkward silence followed. By this time Sasuke was already sleeping far away from any person in the room. Naruto was following, his eyelids drooping slowly.

"No response, eh? Fine then, what are your names?" the same reaction was given to him.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about these wimps…" Kakashi murmured before drifting to sleep.

* * *

Sakura felt warmth bathing the little skin that was exposed. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed a hole in the ceiling that let in the early morning sunshine. A small yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched. The red cloud on her chest gave her good memories of the Akatsuki. Wait, red cloud? Sakura bolted upright and scanned herself and fellow Akatsuki members. None of them had their disguises on! She gently poked Itachi awake. He let out a groan.

"I wanna sleep, tell the ANBU I'm taking the day off." he mumbled. As adorable as it was, with his bed head and rosy cheeks, Sakura had to wake him up. She shook his shoulder. No response. Rolling her eyes, Sakura leaned into Itachi's face and planted a small kiss on his lips. Itachi's eyes snapped open.

"Yes?" he asked seductively. Sakura put a finger to his lips, silencing him. Then with her other hand she jerked a thumb at his cloak. His eyes widened.

"What happened?" Itachi whispered. Sakura shrugged.

"Maybe when we sleep the disguise wears off." she replied. Itachi nodded.

"We have to get out of here before they wake up!"

"Or we could just put the disguises back on…" Sakura scoffed quietly. A rustle came from behind them.

"So you aren't who you said you were!" Kakashi bellowed. His loud voice woke the remaining four sleeping people. Hinata, in Hidan's arms, on his chest, woke with a start. Naruto on the other side of the room rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Hinata?" His cerulean eyes shone with excitement. But it was quickly extinguished when he spotted the silver-haired, magenta-eyed man who held her. Sasuke sprung to his feet.

"Itachi." He hissed.

"So Sakura, we meet again." Kakashi chuckled.

"So we do." Then with a single hand movement, Sakura froze Team 7 in their places. She whipped around to the Akatsuki and gestured to the hole in the ceiling.

"This will only keep them frozen for twenty seconds. Let's go!" She commanded. They nodded and rushed out of the abandoned base. The four of them began to dart in and out of the trees, rushing away from her former team.

"SAKURA!" a piercing yell called after her, the voice belonging to none other than Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura turned her head just as a kunai whisked past, making a fine line of blood on her cheek. She spotted the young Uchiha blazing through the forest in an attempt to catch them, with Naruto and Kakashi at his sides. Another kunai flew by, though this time not aimed at Sakura. It whizzed in the air and stopped only when it came into contact with Hidan's arm.

"Holy…" A long string of curses was drawn from the immortal's mouth.

"I'm going to fucking sacrifice the bastard who threw this fucking kunai to Jashin!" He screamed in agony.

"Turn around and fight!" Naruto yelled. Sakura noticed Hinata panting heavily. They wouldn't stay out of Team 7's grasp for long. She kicked her speed up a bit and caught up with her friend.

"Hinata, can you use your byakugan and find a good battle clearing if there's one close by?" She asked. Hinata nodded briefly. Then veins protruded from the outer sides of her eyes and the Hyuuga scanned the surrounding areas. The veins disappeared quickly.

"One about three miles Northwest from here." Sakura thanked Hinata and changed her direction to follow where the clearing was.

Sakura landed with Hidan, Hinata, and Itachi in the clearing that was perfect for a battle. Team 7 landed opposite them.

"Let's settle this, shall we?" Sasuke smirked. Sakura ignored him and turned to her team.

"Hidan and Itachi, you take Kakashi. Hinata will deal with Naruto, seeing as he has a weak spot for her and I'll dance with Sasuke." She instructed then turned back to face Team 7.

Hinata bit her thumb and summoned her summon. People rarely saw Hibano, as he was known for his destructive attacks and fiery temper. Those who faced him were considered lucky but at the same time, unfortunate. Very few have the opportunity to see this rare creature but if you see one, this probably means you're dead. The phoenix screeched as he flew in the air. Then Hibano took his place next to Hinata. His body was made of the colors that made fire, quite appropriate for this bird of flames.

"We're going for the blond, stupid-looking one," Hinata commanded Hibano. The bird nodded.

"His hair looks highly flammable." Hibano commented. His voice echoed when he spoke. Naruto's eyes widened.

"I'm fighting… Hinata?" He whispered in a pained voice.

Sasuke ran forward, his attack fixed on Itachi. But Sakura intercepted him with a single blow to his abdomen.

"Sorry, but you're against me today." She grinned, catching his attention. When he faced her, she swiftly brought her closed fist to his cheek. The next punch she threw, he deflected easily. Ever seen a ninja movie? Well they began fighting and defending as quickly as though in one of those movies. Sakura's punches met his elbows and her kicks were brought to nothing thanks to his knees. They sparred for a minute, occasionally passing the barriers and making contact with the other.

Sasuke took a punch and faked it out by going for Sakura's face but then at the last second hitting her stomach. Unlike his other hits, this one seemed to hurt so much more than them. Sakura screamed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen. Her tears fell to the ground, her cries full of agony.

Itachi looked at Hidan worriedly.

"Go, I've got him." Hidan reassured, talking about Kakashi. Itachi dashed to Sakura, where Sasuke had been standing, wondering what he'd done.

"Sakura, sweetie, are you okay?" He asked, panicking. Sakura grabbed onto his cloak tightly.

"Itachi, it hurts." She choked out. Her face paled and her bright green eyes became dull. Sakura turned away from Itachi and vomited on the ground. She coughed and blood splattered the ground. Itachi whipped to Sasuke.

"What did you do?" Itachi hissed. His brother shook his head.

"I hit her stomach and she collapsed." He confessed. Itachi scooped up the now sweaty Sakura and ran to Hinata.

"Hinata, Konan and Sakura have been training you in the medical field right?" He asked desperately. Hinata nodded. Itachi placed Sakura on the ground and the Hyuuga began checking vital signs. When they seemed fine, she focused chakra to her hand, just like she had been practicing, and hovered over her best friends body.

"Sasuke hit her stomach." Itachi offered. Hinata's hand moved to Sakura's abdomen. Her eyes widened.

"Itachi…" She started.

"What?"

"Sakura's pregnant. The baby is in danger."

* * *

**Izzy: O.O Oh snap, I told you this chapter would be epic. I know, these fight scenes were crappy but I really wanted to get to the climax! (Pregnancy, in case you're stupid)**

**Gaara: OH. EM. GEE.**

**Izzy: I know right!**

**Gaara: I can't believe it.**

**Izzy: Pretty amazing right?**

**Gaara: Amazing? I told you to stop with the cliffhangers!**

**Izzy: Nani? I thought you were talking about…**

**Gaara: What, you thought I was talking about your plot?**

**Izzy: Kinda…**

**Gaara: Yeah right. Whatever, leave her reviews seeing as I just destroyed her self-esteem.**

**Izzy: *sniffle* TT-TT**


	7. New Addition To The Akatsuki Family

**ZOmg, Sakura's preggo (Not the sauce, stupid :P)!**

**Gaara-chan: Issy111 doesn't own Naruto or pretty much any of the proper nouns in this story! Except for the baby, it technically is Sakura's… but let's not get into details. She doesn't own Dango Daikazoku either! R&R!**

_**!**_

_Dango dango_

_Dango dango_

_Dango daikazoku_

_**!**_

_Itachi looked at Hidan worriedly._

_"Go, I've got him." Hidan reassured, talking about Kakashi. Itachi dashed to Sakura, where Sasuke had been standing, wondering what he'd done._

_"Sakura, sweetie, are you okay?" He asked, panicking. Sakura grabbed onto his cloak tightly._

_"Itachi, it hurts." She choked out. Her face paled and her bright green eyes became dull. Sakura turned away from Itachi and vomited on the ground. She coughed and blood splattered the ground. Itachi whipped to Sasuke._

_"What did you do?" Itachi hissed. His brother shook his head._

_"I hit her stomach and she collapsed." He confessed. Itachi scooped up the now sweaty Sakura and ran over to Hinata._

_"Hinata, Konan and Sakura have been training you in the medical field right?" He asked desperately. Hinata nodded. Itachi placed Sakura on the ground and the Hyuuga began checking vital signs. When they seemed fine, she focused chakra to her hand, just like she had been practicing, and hovered over her best friends' body._

_"Sasuke hit her stomach." Itachi offered. Hinata's hand moved to Sakura's abdomen. Her eyes widened._

_"Itachi…" She started._

_"What?"_

_"Sakura's pregnant. The baby is in danger."_

_**!**_

_Yancha na_

_yaki-dango yasashii_

_an-dango_

_**!**_

Itachi had no time to react like any normal person would, seeing as he wasn't a normal person, per say. Instead he picked up Sakura bridal style and looked at Hinata worriedly as he had Hidan. Hinata nodded then turned back to Naruto. She whistled to Hibano, commanding the bird to swoop to her side.

"I'll take on Naruto. You hold off Sasuke until I give the cue," she instructed. Hibano shrieked and shot to the sky, suddenly turning to the ground. He rocketed down like a flaming rocket, his aim on Sasuke. Hidan laughed manically as he began drawing a circle with a triangle inside it on the ground.

Itachi, on the other hand, was already gone. He had bolted into the trees as soon as he had approval from Hinata to go. Sakura was panting in his arms, trying to heal herself like she used to be able to do. But she was nearly depleted of chakra and easily gave up, clutching Itachi's cloak. Itachi hadn't noticed how close to the Akatsuki base they were until he had left the battle. To his relief, it wasn't long until he spotted the huge boulder that was recognized as one of the bases' doors. He stopped before it, preparing to move it when the giant rock slid open.

"Itachi, what is the meaning of this?" Sasori hissed, jerking his chin at Sakura's body in Itachi's arms. Itachi ignored the puppeteer.

"Get Konan, Sakura needs medical attention," Itachi commanded, rushing to the section of the base properly labeled as the "Infirmary." He found a room as close to his as possible and put her light body onto the white sheets of the bed. Konan came bursting in soon after.

"What happened?" She screamed, immediately at her "daughter's" side. Before Itachi could answer, Pein barged in.

"What havoc have you wreaked upon my Cherry Blossom!" He boomed. Itachi paused then spoke confidently.

"Sakura is pregnant," Konan gasped at this, "but during the battle from where I just came, an enemy hit her abdomen. Hinata says the child is in danger." Itachi searched his leader's face uneasily.

Pein pulled his fist back, ready to rid the world of scum like Itachi. But Konan reacted quicker. She raised her hand and slapped her leader right across the face. He froze, not really knowing what had just happened. Konan shook with rage.

"You just found out that you are going to be a grandfather and the mother of your grandchild is in danger of losing the baby, all you can think of to punish the man who gave this miracle of life to you?" She shrieked. With that, she pushed the two men out of the room and turned to tend to Sakura.

Silence.

"So… where are Hidan, Hinata, Kakuzu, and Kisame?" Pein said after a moment.

"Hidan and Hinata were fighting at the battle I left," Itachi replied tonelessly. Pein frowned.

"And what about Kisame and Kakuzu?"

Pause.

"I don't really know."

_**!**_

_Minna minna_

_Awasete_

_Kyakunin kazoku_

_**!**_

"Wait, so you can't find their chakra signatures ANYWHERE?" Kisame repeated. Kakuzu nodded awkwardly.

"Well, we have no idea where they went and there's no way I'm going to face Pein and tell him that we lost our teammates, so…let's go and get drunk!" Kisame wooted and ran into the nearest bar. Kakuzu, although worried about his money, reluctantly followed.

_**!**_

_Aka-chan dango wa_

_Itsumo shiawase_

_No naka de_

_**!**_

Itachi was pacing in his room, Hidan was cursing loudly in the hallway, Hinata was in the infirmary, and Sakura was in intensive care. I suppose it could've been worse; Hidan could've been born stupid. Wait, he was. Okay, I admit, nothing could be worse than this situation.

Moments ago, Hinata had come to Itachi's door and informed him that Sakura was at least 7 months pregnant. _Had they even been having sex that long ago?_ Itachi had so many thoughts running through his unusually cluttered mind. Hinata warned him that it was possible that the baby would have to be born soon in order to avoid any internal damage to Sakura's body and the baby's.

_What if the baby was being born right now?_

_Is it a girl or a boy?_

_If it's a girl, what will we name her?_

_If it's a boy, what will we name him?_

_What if Sakura doesn't make it through the birthing?_

These thoughts made Itachi pale, but the last one was terrifying enough to drive him mad. Inside his head, he started to realize that in order to have a baby, they would need supplies. And a lot of them.

_Crib_

_Bottles_

_Diapers- Ew_

_Clothes_

_Toys_

_Food_

So much to get, so little time! Hidan poked his head into Itachi's room mysteriously.

"Hinata said she needs you in the infirmary." The Jashinist's usual grin was replaced by a worried grimace and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. Itachi knew he looked even worse by far. Itachi had no time; he rushed to the infirmary to see Sakura on the bed he'd lain her not even 24 hours ago. She was unconscious but steadily breathing. Konan ushered Itachi out of the room to leave Hinata to attend to Sakura. Konan smiled for the first time since Itachi had brought Sakura.

"She's finally stable and the baby is fine. But she's definitely going to need some time off, from missions and most likely any activities that require energy. Her chakra has automatically redirected its flow so that the majority of it does not reach her but the baby. It's tiring her but she'll survive. The baby will probably need some help coming out in about a month or so. Would you like to know whether you'll be having a daughter or a son?" Konan grinned excitedly. Itachi smirked. He knew that no matter what answer he gave would result in Konan telling him anyway.

"You're going to have a son!" She screamed as loud as she could so that Sakura wouldn't be disturbed. Itachi twitched slightly.

"Thank you for all you've done for her," Itachi said respectively. Konan nodded happily and trotted back into Sakura's room. Itachi unconsciously followed her, making no noise. He saw Sakura hooked up to several medical machines; he also noticed that she had been stripped down to her mere underwear and a gash stood out on her pale stomach.

Itachi walked to her side and gripped her hand lightly. He squeezed it gently and his breath caught when a faint squeeze returned to his hand. Sakura's eyelids fluttered open.

"Itachi?" She croaked. Itachi bent down to her ear.

"Sakura, we're going to have a bouncing baby boy," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek. A tear rolled down that same cheek as he left.

_**!**_

_Toshiyori dango_

_Wa me o_

_hosometeru_

_**!**_

Itachi glanced at his Sakura. Her belly had grown quite large in the span of a month. It was surprising how quickly a child can show itself after going unnoticed for about 7 months. Itachi frowned. Had all those times they'd had sex been harmful to the baby?

Sakura caught his eye and grinned.

"Itachi-kuuunnn! Get over here so I can hug you!" She squealed. Itachi smirked. He hadn't really seen it before, but her moods were a lot more… bouncy these days. Sometimes she wanted to kill him for getting her the wrong flavor of ice cream and other times she wanted to smother him in love and rainbows and mostly unicorns. Itachi sauntered to Sakura's new room, specially crafted to connect to a smaller room that was placed between his and her room. This room has been properly claimed as the baby's room.

It had taken a lot of thought and a lot of arguing but eventually all of the members of Akatsuki settled on what the first child of the organization would be named: Hatsuharu. But Sakura made it quite clear that if she for some reason thought the name didn't suit her baby, she had every right to change it. Since she had been extremely bitchy that day, no one questioned her authority.

Sakura was nestled comfortably in her oversized bed with a mean bed head and a hand on her bulging tummy. Itachi settled at the foot of her bed.

"Yes?" I suppose the love and rainbows and unicorns had begun to rub off on him, seeing as the Uchiha's mood had noticeably risened. His voice was no longer as emotionless as it was so long ago; it had just the slightest hint of cheeriness in it.

"What do you think Haru will look like when he's born?" Sakura asked dreamily. Itachi shrugged.

"With a beautiful mother and an incredible, not-of-this-world sexy father, he'll probably be the ugliest child I've ever seen," he said sarcastically. Sakura, being as emotionally unstable as she was at the moment, suddenly became depressed.

"Do you really think so?" She sniffled loudly. Konan burst in the door, panting.

"What did you do to my daughter and grandson?" She screamed. Itachi shrugged.

"I was sarcastic about our child's looks," he answered nonchalantly. Konan glared at him, softly comforting Sakura's whimpering.

"Every man knows not to joke around with pregnant women; it could get them in serious trouble later," Konan retorted. Itachi sighed; he couldn't wait for his child to be born already, then all this commotion would be over.

Hinata walked in quietly to give Sakura her daily vitamins. As usual, the pink-haired girl thrashed violently, obviously not wanting the measly pill. Eventually Hinata was able to, with the help of four other Akatsuki members, make Sakura swallow the pregnancy vitamins. Itachi inwardly laughed at his girlfriend's resistance.

_**!**_

_Nakayoshi dango_

_Te o tsunagi ooki na_

_Marui wa ni naru yo_

_**!**_

A scream pierced the silent atmosphere of the Akatsuki base. Itachi jolted up in his bed. That scream, he knew, only belonged to… Sakura. He jumped out of bed and into the hallway, running as fast as possible into Sakura's room. Konan and Hinata were already there, the rest of Akatsuki were gathering around the door. Itachi pushed his way in and saw Sakura covered in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Konan glanced at Itachi.

"She's in labor," she announced. Itachi quickly took his place at Sakura's side, comforting her with soft words and offering his hand for her like he'd always read about in books. She gripped it with so much force, he was sure that she's break it in no time. She kept wailing as Hinata readied her for cesarean section.

Itachi stole a look at the open door, expecting the Akatsuki to be standing there with horror on their faces, but they were gone. A shriek shattered his eardrums. Itachi looked back at Sakura. Konan had begun the procedure.

_**!**_

_Machi o tsukuri_

_dango hoshi no ue_

_minna de waraiau_

_**!**_

Konan almost squealed when she saw her grandchild within Sakura's belly. But there was no time for celebration. She had to get out the baby, make sure that he's healthy, and then stitch Sakura back up. It was the middle of the night, and she was exhausted. Fortunately, this would all be over soon. Pein ran into the room, slashes across his body, blood dripping down his face.

"Konaha nins are invading," he said breathlessly. Hinata scurried around the room, as if this news hadn't fazed her at all. Konan suddenly changed gears.

"If anything, protect this section of the base. Sakura's as vulnerable as possible right now. We cannot leave the base," she roared, making Sakura flinch. Pein nodded and left, the sound of his two feet multiplying by six. Konan quickly returned to Sakura, cutting the baby's umbilical cord. She handed the newborn to Hinata, who was ready to clean him off. She froze, staring at the child.

"Konan-san? Did you realize that this child is a girl?" She asked confusedly. Konan tilted her head and looked at the baby's genitals. She gasped.

"You're right!" Sakura, who had just fallen asleep after such a tiring event, woke up.

"Wha?" She mumbled. Konan grinned in spite of the attack she could hear faintly outside.

"Sakura, you've got a daughter!" She squealed. Itachi paused from his chair next to Sakura.

"But you said that we had a son," he accused. Konan shrugged.

"Perhaps I lied," she said quickly. A sudden crash cut her off. The baby, who had just been cleaned by Hinata, was now in a blue blanket, the only one they had prepared for "Haru." Konan gave Sakura, Hinata, and the baby each a small kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.

Hinata walked to Sakura and placed the small bundle in her arms. A tear cascaded down Sakura's cheek. It was the tear that only a mother can shed. The baby had a little wisp of dark hair and bright purple eyes. Sakura traced a finger across her baby's cheek, making it snuggle deeper into her chest. Sakura squeaked happily. Itachi sat next to her on the bed, smiling freer than he'd ever smiled before. This was his child, not anyone else's, and nothing would change that. Sakura looked up at the father of her daughter and giggled for the first time since she'd woken up.

"Would you like to hold her?" She whispered. Itachi could do nothing but nod numbly. Despite the bangs and booms that were barely twenty yards away, Itachi took the small baby into his arms and stood. There was a warm feeling that he couldn't describe any other way; it was the love and protection that only a father has for his child.

_**!**_

_Usagi mo sora de te o futte_

_Miteru dekkai o-tsuki-sama_

_Ureshii koto kanashii koto_

_Mo zenbu marumete_

_**!**_

**Tee Hee :3 This chapter wasn't nearly as long as I wanted but I'm pretty happy. Okay, so this chapter was about 6 pages long... but my ultimate superly long epic goal is... 36 pages. I hope to get there one day! :D Anyway, leave me lots of reviews. I've been thinking about writing a sequel to this because sadly, this story will be ending soon.**


	8. Escape

_**Izzy: Thanks for the reviews! Tee hee, this story turned out a lot better than what I had originally thought; I'm glad I was able to (hopefully) satisfy what you wanted from this story. :3**_

**~RAWR~**

"_Would you like to hold her?" She whispered. Itachi could do nothing but nod numbly. Despite the bangs and booms that were barely twenty yards away, Itachi took the small baby into his arms and stood. There was a warm feeling that he couldn't describe any other way; it was the love and protection that only a father has for his child. _

**~RAWR~**

Totally oblivious, Itachi didn't notice Hinata scrambling in the room, packing anything the baby would need. She was readying Sakura for when they would flee. Itachi hated running away like cowards but all that mattered was his daughter. Sakura was given three soldier pills, even though the most you were supposed to eat was one. One pill would provide her with three days and three nights of fighting but one could expect that when the military rations were first invented, they didn't expect the eater to have just given birth and was expected to most likely fight along the way.

She was nearly dead tired and still had to travel about 15 miles to get to the emergency Akatsuki base. Hinata wrapped the baby in warm blankets and gave her to Sakura. Sakura, now lively thanks to the soldier pills, cooed happily at her child. Hinata gave Sakura a pack filled with necessities for her daughter. Sakura hugged Hinata one last time, murmured a quiet "thanks" and began making hand seals faster than a person could process. Suddenly, a whirl of Sakura petals surrounded her and Itachi, who easily masked their chakra signatures. The petals disappeared, as did the people within them. Hinata smiled and turned to fight off her old friends.

**~RAWR~**

Sakura panted, despite her huge intake of soldier pills. The jutsu she had performed to take them to the emergency base was very depleting. But she had made the journey and protected her baby, so that was enough. She rested with her daughter in her arms while Itachi set up makeshift rooms for them. While Sakura was asleep, the rest of the Akatsuki filtered in, covered in injuries that made them wince with every stride. Hinata was first to arrive so luckily she was able to begin healing her team members immediately.

Pein smiled as his gaze rested on Sakura and his sleeping grandchild. Nothing could feel like this; he knew. Hidan, newly healed, pushed his leader aside with a grin.

"So how's the little fucker?" He asked cheerfully. Itachi shot him a glare as Sakura slowly woke up.

"Hm?" She mumbled softly. Hidan stared at the little bundle in her arms happily.

"What a cute little boy!" He said a bit too much like a pedophile. Itachi paused before answering.

"For your information, our child is a girl," Itachi replied icily. Hidan's eyes widened as the rest of the Akatsuki barged through, trying to hear better.

"But Konan said she was a boy!" Sasori whined. Konan shrugged from her little Konan-corner.

"I lied," she said shortly. Deidara interrupted loudly.

"So if she's not a boy then her name isn't Haru! What'll we name her?" He wondered. Suddenly, random names were being spewed out.

"Nagisa!"

"Serena!"

"Ichigo?"

"Rae."

"Huni!"

"Misaki!"

"Tohru!"

"Little Miss Muffet who sat on her Tuffet until Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked her into a glacier!" Everyone stopped cold and stared at Tobi, who had just called out the pretty much stupidest name any of them had ever heard. **(A/N: All of those names were from animes and mangas :3 except the Chuck Norris one of course.)** The quietest one of them all, Kakuzu, spoke out to break the silence.

"If her name was originally Haru, why don't we name her something related to Haru. Like Harumi?" He suggested in a polite tone none of them even knew he had.

"I like it," Sakura commented quietly. Itachi nodded approvingly. Murmurs filled the awkward silence with several "it has a nice ring to it," and "Harumi, it rolls off the tongue."

And so, Sakura and Itachi's daughter was thusly named Harumi Maaka Uchiha. Don't ask where the Maaka came from; someone just threw it in there for fun.

**~RAWR~**

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. He and his team had been fighting several Akatsuki S-ranked criminals a second ago. But now they were all gone. Naruto was breathing heavily beside him and only Kami knows where Sasuke disappeared to; he probably went to try and destroy Itachi, good luck with that. With a kunai ready in his hand, Kakashi stealthily made his was through the abandoned base. He came to a stop at a very messy room. There was blood EVERYWHERE. On the bed, the floor, and all over the bathroom. It was like someone had DIED in this room. Little did he know, quite the opposite happened. For in this room, life was not taken away; it was given to a new child he didn't expect.

**~RAWR~**

Harumi giggled and squealed from Hidan's lap, flailing her limbs madly.

"I… Hate… Banana!" She screeched in that cute two-year-old lisp that no one can resist. Harumi gripped the poor banana in her fist and shot it across the room... right in Pein's hair. She screamed with pleasure, knowing she'd hit her mark. Sakura sighed from next to Hidan and picked up her daughter.

"C'mon, it's time for you to go training with Sasori-nii-san, alright?" Sakura said gently. Harumi smiled at her mother and nodded happily. The rosette dropped her raven-haired daughter off at Sasori's room and met up with Itachi. Apparently, Pein needed to talk with them immediately.

Sakura pecked a kiss on Itachi's lips and took his hand in hers, leading them to Pein's room. Once there, Pein was waiting patiently in his big chair with a smidge of banana in his hair. **(Holy moly that entire sentence rhymed O.O)**

"Sakura, Itachi, I've been meaning to talk to you for some time now, about… Harumi," he started, his strong voice wavering just the slightest. Sakura frowned. When Pein was nervous, the world was pretty much going to end.

"I know you two have been trying very hard to make her life as normal as possible, but an evil organization isn't the place where a sweet girl like her should be raised. If you really want her to grow up as a normal child, like the rest of us do, then I would take into consideration taking her to a village." Pein was slow and steady while explaining. Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears and Itachi squeezed her hand lightly.

"It's for the best, right?" Sakura asked, her voice breaking. She knew that Pein's every word was right.

**~RAWR~**

_***sniffle* This story is reaching its end. This was a short chapter because *sob* the next chapter, Chapter 9, is going to be the last chapter of Cherry Blossoms, Red Clouds, and an Uchiha Fan. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and do not be sad! For if you want me to, I am thinking about writing a sequel to this about Harumi growing up. So review now and tell me what you think! Ja ne!**_


	9. Harumi Must Leave

_**Izzy: Well guys, this is the last chapter of Cherry Blossoms, Red Clouds, and an Uchiha Fan. Honestly, I really like this story so I am most likely going to write a sequel. I don't know if I should be telling you this but have no fear! Cuz this is only the beginning of a new life. :)Oh and by the way, I got really confused as to how old everyone is so…**_

_**Sakura: 18 (Yes she was 16 and Pregnant :P)**_

_**Itachi: 25**_

_**Sasuke and gang: 18**_

_**Other Akatsuki members: I have no idea. Maybe in their twenties? =_=**_

**~Rawr~**

"_I know you two have been trying very hard to make her life as normal as possible, but an evil organization isn't the place where a sweet girl like her should be raised. If you really want her to grow up as a normal child, like the rest of us do, then I would take into consideration taking her to a village." Pein was slow and steady while explaining. Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears and Itachi squeezed her hand lightly._

"_It's for the best, right?" Sakura asked, her voice breaking. She knew that Pein's every word was right._

**~Rawr~**

"Sakura, I know what you're thinking. The answer is no; I know you believe that a normal life in a village with Itachi and Harumi would be perfect but you and he are too valuable to our organization," Pein sighed heavily.

Sakura and Itachi left Pein wordlessly. They knew that Harumi shouldn't live in such a dangerous place; ever since the original Akatsuki base was destroyed, the Akatsuki had been walking around on eggshells. And seeing as they had a toddler roaming around, there had to be someone left behind at all times. That wasn't good news for those of them who had missions to do and their partners were stuck babysitting a two year old girl. Everything about having Harumi in the base was wrong and they knew it.

"If we are to take Harumi away, we should do it as soon as possible; we don't want her having a lot of memory of us." Sakura said to Itachi while they were walking. Her tone was flat and tired, Itachi noticed. He nodded and disappeared into Harumi's room. Then he appeared with a small bag embroidered with "Harumi" in lacey letters on the side. Sakura slipped in a small picture frame with Itachi's dark eyes on her.

"I thought you didn't want her to remember us," he accused.

"Well, we are her family and she should know who her family is. In this picture no one has their Akatsuki cloaks on so she'll never know who we really are." She explained softly. Itachi shrugged and went to go find his daughter; she was probably in Sasori's room, learning how to make puppets.

Sasori's door was cracked open and giggled were drifting from inside it. Itachi pushed into the room and saw Harumi sitting with Sasori on the floor, making their puppets dance together. Itachi smirked; his daughter was only two and could already control puppets with chakra strings. Sasori looked up from his dance and frowned at Itachi.

"I heard…" he started. Itachi interrupted him and scooped up his daughter and her puppet.

"Harumi, say bye-bye to Sasori." Itachi said playfully, as if this goodbye wasn't going to be the last. Harumi flailed her hand around, which was her version of waving, and grinned.

"Bye bye, Sasori-nii-san!" Harumi said with a lisp. Sasori looked away to cover the fact that his eyes were tearing up. Itachi slung her bag over his shoulder and held Harumi in his right arm. He headed toward the exit where the Akatsuki would be waiting for their final good-bye.

**~Rawr~**

Sasuke Uchiha was never very social; the only people he hung out with were Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, and sometimes Shino. He usually invited them over when Ino, Tenten, and Temari had sleepovers, seeing as he had the biggest and loneliest house of them all. But tonight Naruto and Kiba were eating Ramen, Neji was taking Tenten out for their 5 year anniversary, and Shikamaru was taking advantage of the one night that Temari was staying in Konoha. So Sasuke was all alone in his big lonely house with nothing to do. Until that is, the doorbell rang.

Sasuke jogged to the door and opened it. He paused, seeing as no one was there. But there was a chakra signature. It was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. He knew this signature but he couldn't place his finger on it. Sasuke finally looked down and saw a little girl with raven black hair like his and bright purple eyes. He picked up the girl and the bag with "Harumi" sewed on in script. Sasuke brought her in and inspected the child. She had a small necklace that glistened in the moonlight. It had three small charms on it. When Sasuke peered closer, he saw that on the necklace there was a Cherry blossom petal, a red cloud, and an Uchiha fan.

(End)

**Izzy: :D Thank you for everything, readers. The subscriptions, the favorites, and especially the reviews. This story didn't last as long as I wanted but there will be a sequel so keep an eye out! I would have never finished this story without readers like you. Maybe now I'll be able to update my other stories... xD So thanks once again and remember that I love you! (^.^)v peace!**


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